Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation battle saw a lot of dirty laundry aired in the courtroom last year, and while the Pirates of the Caribbean star was the victor from a legal standpoint (Heard was found liable in all three matters of defamation), both their careers have suffered.
While Depp is slowly attempting to mount a comeback, Heard seems to have been largely ostracised from Hollywood. It's been widely reported she was unhappy with her role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom being cut down in response to the bad press, while she's levelled some pretty wild accusations at her co-star, Jason Momoa as well (Heard alleges that he showed up on set drunk and dressed like Depp).
So, exactly what happens to Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom? We've been sent some early details about the character's fate and Heard's screen time.
During the sequel's opening scenes, we learn that four years have passed since the events of Aquaman and, in that time, Arthur Curry and Mera have married and had a child. They live on the surface in Thomas Curry's lighthouse and occasionally travel back to Atlantis to fulfil their duties as the kingdom's monarchs.
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When Black Manta returns, Mera is there when Arthur meets with Atlantis council and later part of a battle with the villain when the returning villain attempts to invade the undersea nation. During the fight, Manta wounds Mera with his lasers...but she survives!
This leads to her being sidelined for a huge chunk of the movie, hence why Arthur has no other choice than to seek help from his half-brother Orm (we're sure you'll remember Wan defending Heard's reduced role by saying he wanted to instead focus on the relationship between the brothers).
Mera does, however, return during the final battle to fend off Black Manta and, as she attempts to rescue her and Aquaman's son, the villain throws his black trident at her...only for the hero to survive when Orm catches it before it can reach her!
We'll be taking a deep dive into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's ending tomorrow, but yes, Amber Heard's Mera survives the events of this movie. With the DCEU reaching its end, though, this will still be the last time we see the character on screen.
Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa - along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman - return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
The movie splashes down into theaters on December 22.